NORTH Melbourne has broken through for its first win of the season after disposing of Port Adelaide by 60 points at Etihad Stadium on Saturday.
The Kangaroos simply worked harder than the Power, and their willingness to play on and support each other was a feature of the 18.25 (133) to 10.13 (73) win.
The Roos' approach to the game was typified by the chase and tackle by Lindsay Thomas that led to his side's second goal of the day.
With Port's Matt Thomas about to launch a counter attack from half-back, the Kangaroo forward ran hard and earned a free kick that set up teammate Sam Wright for an easy goal.
It was only one small passage of play, but it helped set the tone for the match that North was clearly more desperate to win.
The final tackle count told the tale of the day with North applying 60 tackles to the Power's 37 - a competition-wide season low.
Where the Roos' impressed, Port Adelaide disappointed in equal measure.
Sure, they had their moments, but Matthew Primus' men had the blowtorch applied to them after coughing up a large lead to lose to Gold Coast last weekend and they didn't respond in the manner their coach would have expected for the most part.
Too often their kicks found opposition players and when they didn't have it, they didn't work hard enough to exert the required pressure on the ball carrier.
North led by 13 points at the first change and increased its advantage at every break as the Power wilted under the heat of the contest.
One of the few lowlights for the Kangaroos came in the 13th minute of the last quarter when Lachie Hansen crashed head first into the boundary fence after kicking a goal.
The big Roo forward lay prone on the turf for several minutes before he was stretchered from the ground. He was taken to hospital for scans after the match.
Influential players
Todd Goldstein played arguably his best game for the Roos. The ruckman finished with 22 touches, 35 hitouts, a goal and five score assists in a best on ground performance. Brent Harvey wasn't far behind with 24 disposals and three goals.
What it means
It means North Melbourne's season has a pulse, a faint one, but a pulse nonetheless. While the inaccuracy in front of goal would have driven Brad Scott to despair, the work rate and desire to attack the contest displayed by his players is something he can build on.
The next four
North Melbourne: Geelong (Skilled), Melbourne (Etihad), Brisbane Lions (Gabba), Sydney Swans (Etihad)
Dream Team highlight
North Melbourne:
Todd Goldstein has really stepped up in the absence of Hamish McIntosh and the big guy rewarded his Dream Team coaches with a return of 120 points. Kieran Harper scored 61 on debut.
Magic moment
Brent Harvey attracted plenty of criticism for publicly admonishing two young teammates after the loss to Collingwood, but the veteran has responded brilliantly. He lifted his side with a trademark run and goal midway through the second term as Port was pressing. Harvey took the ball on the wing, bounced it four times, baulked Jackson Trengove and coolly slotted a real team lifter.
The crowd
The 16,014 fans were confined to the lower two tiers of Etihad Stadium and were in full voice for most of the game, but one North supporter let himself down badly when he reached over the fence and made contact with Daniel Motlop's back as he celebrated his third goal. To call the contact a punch might be overstating it, but you just cannot touch the players and Port coach Matthew Primus promised to follow up the incident through the proper channels.
North Melbourne 4.5 7.12 13.20 18.25 (133)
Port Adelaide 2.4 4.6 8.9 10.13 (73)
GOALS
North Melbourne: Harvey 3, Wright 3, Speight 2, Hansen 2, Firrito, Anthony, Thomas, Swallow, Harper, Goldstein, Petrie, Atley
Port Adelaide: Motlop 4, Ebert 2, Westhoff, Brogan, Gray, Broadbent
BEST
North Melbourne: Goldstein, Harvey, Anthony, Grima, Adams, Rawlings, Firrito, Wright
Port Adelaide: Hartlett, K. Cornes, Motlop, Brogan
INJURIES
North Melbourne: Ziebell (calf), Hansen (back)
Port Adelaide: Daniel Stewart replaced in the selected side by Mitch Banner
SUBSTITUTES
North Melbourne: Jack Ziebell (calf) replaced by Ben Cunnington in the third quarter
Port Adelaide: Jacob Surjan replaced by Mitch Banner in the third quarter
Reports: Nil
Umpires: Leppard, Schmitt, Findlay
Official crowd: 16, 014 at Etihad Stadium
The views in this article are those of the author and not necessarily of the clubs or the AFL
